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Balladonia History & Museum
The town of Balladonia has a rich and unique history. Originally settled in 1879 the region became a thriving and prosperous wool producing area. Over a century later wool production is still the number one industry, followed closely behind by tourism.
Balladonia Hotel Motel - our story
Just like the local area, the Balladonia Hotel Motel also has an interesting past. Purchased by the Prendiville family in 1965, we've been going from strength to strength for more than 60 years. We started from pretty humble beginnings but we've grown into a well known tourist hub offering everything from four star accommodation through to backpacker's dongas.
Skylab and its fiery re-entry
Back in the late 1970's Balladonia was thrust into the international spotlight. In July, the world was captivated by the plight of a wayward NASA space station called Skylab. For weeks there was a lot of speculation about where it would come crashing to earth. NASA scientists predicted South Africa but in the early morning of July 13, 1979 they were proved wrong. On the centenary of Balladonia's settlement, fiery pieces of Skylab landed around the grounds of our hotel prompting a call by then president Jimmy Carter to apologise for the mess!
Balladonia Museum
Within the Balladonia Hotel Motel complex is our cultural heritage museum. We've spent years collecting interesting artifacts and curating a range of informative displays that give visitors an understanding of the local area and our history. You can easily spend an hour or two rifling though the various exhibits, learning fun facts about this unique part of Australia.
What you'll learn
The museum covers a range of interesting subjects including:
- Aboriginal heritage
- European exploration and settlement
- the history of the Royal Flying Doctor Service
- construction of the Eyre Highway
- artifacts from settler's life
- information about local flora and fauna
The main focus of our museum though, is on the fiery re-entry of NASA's Skylab space station in 1979 (which incidentally coincided with Balladonia's centenary of settlement). Our collection includes documents from NASA, a recreation of actual events, photos and related ephemera. We even have a life-sized replica of some of the debris sitting on top of our roof!
When to visit
The museum is open daily and entry is free. Kids and school groups are especially welcome. If you'd like more information about the museum, or any of our displays, please get in touch.